Indonesia national disorders put its president to the test
The wave of violent protests that have swept the Indonesia and left seven deaths are considered a major test for Indonesian President Purbowo Suubianto.
The clashes between the riot police and the throbbing demonstrators who started in the capital last week quickly spread beyond Jakarta.
Angry demonstrators in several cities set fire to the regional buildings of the Parliament, the police headquarters and the infrastructure damaged in the disorders which included the looting and the fire of the vehicles.
Sunday ordered the security forces on Sunday to take firm measures against demonstrations.
“There are signs of illegal acts, which even leads to betrayal and terrorism,” he said. “For the police and the military, I ordered them to take measures as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting in the houses of individuals and economic centers, depending on the law.”
SUBIANTO canceled a high -level trip to China to attend the victory day parade in Beijing next Wednesday, quoting the climbing of national demonstrations.
Here is what you need to know about the demonstrations:
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Indonesian Parliament and across the country on Monday to demand reform and justice when they dedicated fears of a repression after fatal riots on weekends. The demonstrations began a week ago about government spending priorities, including advantages for legislators, and degenerated after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle sharing driver.
Cause of disorders
Public indignation emerged through the third world democracy after the 580 members of the House of Representatives receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupees ($ 4,179 CDN), in addition to their wages.
The allowance, which was introduced last year, is almost 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.
Critics argue that the advantage is both excessive and insensitive at a time when most people are struggling with a cost of living, taxes and an increase in unemployment.
Beste and injuries to death
The demonstrations grew up wider and more violent after the death of the 21 -year -old driver, Affan Kurniawan.
A video on social networks, apparently showing his death during a rally in Jakarta on Thursday, shocked the nation and stimulated an uproar against the security forces.
Kurniawan would have finished a food delivery order when he was taken in the confrontation.
Witnesses declared on local television that an armored car from the mobile brigade unit of the Indonesian national police suddenly accelerated the crowd of demonstrators and struck Kurniawan, which made him fall. Instead of stopping, the car crossed him.
An angry crowd on Friday evening set fire to a local parliament building in the city of Makassar on the island of Sulawesi, trapping several people in the fire. Three people died and five others were hospitalized.
In a riot separated from the city, a man who was considered a police intelligence agent disguised as childbirth was beaten to death by a crowd.
The number of deaths reached seven after the Yogyakarta authorities said that a university student was killed in Friday clashes between demonstrators and the riot police.
Health managers of the Solo City in the center of Java confirmed that a 60 -year -old pedicab driver suffering from acute asthma had been found unconscious after being exposed to tear gas on Sunday. The driver died while he was treated in a hospital.
The Jakarta health office said 469 people had been injured in violent demonstrations, including 97 hospitalized. Among them, 43 victims have been treated at the Bhayangkara police hospital since the clashes are starting.
The president visited 14 officers on Monday and three civilians who are still receiving treatment in the hospital, including a woman who suffered from a broken thigh after rioters seized her motorcycle while she was on the way to a market.
The demonstrators in Jakarta, Indonesia, were struck with tear gas on Friday during demonstrations against the death of a motorcycle taxi driver, which would have been struck by an armored police vehicle during a previous demonstration against wages and the advantages of Indonesian legislators.
Subbianto blames the “rioters, not the demonstrators”
After the visit, Subianto said that violence was fed by “rioters, not demonstrators” and accused groups of trying to destabilize the nation.
“Their intention is not to express aspirations but to provoke chaos, to disturb people’s lives and to sabotage national development,” said Suubianto.
He has sworn that he “will not even withdraw a stage” in the confrontation of the rioters responsible for violent disorders in the country of the archipelago of more than 280 million people.
Cost of damage
The authorities arrested 1,240 rioters after five days of demonstrations in Jakarta. The disorders had caused losses of up to 55 billion rupees ($ 4.6 million CDN) while rioters burned bus and metro stations and damaged other infrastructure, said the governor of Jakarta Pramono Anung.
The escalation of violence in Indonesia has prompted Tiktok to voluntarily suspend its live functionality, citing measures to keep the platform a safe and civil space.
The foreign embassies and consulates, including Canada, the United States, Australia, France and the Southeast Asian countries, have issued a travel warning and advised their citizens in Indonesia to avoid demonstration areas or large public gatherings.
Government concessions
Flanked by leaders of eight Indonesian political parties, Subianto told a television press conference in Jakarta that the government would reduce the advantages and privileges of the legislators, including the disputed housing allowance, and suspend traveling abroad for members of the Parliament.
It was a rare concession in response to the editing of public anger.
SUBIANTO also said that the police were investigating seven police officers linked to the incident during which Kurniawan, the draw driver, died. He asked the survey to be fast and transparent, carried out in a way that the public can monitor.
He would also guarantee that his administration financially support the Kurniawan family. The former general also called on the public to express his aspirations in a peaceful and constructive manner, and promised that their voices would be heard.
Economic prospects
Analysts consider violent rallies as a culmination of public anger in the face of economic difficulties, as well as the insensitivity and political frustration of civil servants.
In his campaign for the president, Subianto has promised to increase economic growth to 8% in five years and make the greatest economy in Southeast Asia attractive for investments.
But observers rejected his commitment as too ambitious, the 19% prices of the Trump administration on Indonesian products adding to uncertainty.
The World Bank estimates that the Indonesian economy will increase by 4.8% until 2027, well below the commitment of SUBIANTO.
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